Extent: 0.8 linear foot (the collection consists of two catalogues and twenty three folders of material. the two catalogues are bound
and housed in one box measuring 17" by 12.5" by 2". photocopies of the catalogue are contained in three folders in the archival
box along with twelve additional folders of material. the remaining eight folders are oversized material)

The Montroville W. Dickeson Collection is a record of Dickeson's expedition to the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys to investigate
the origins and archaeology of the North American mound builders. Interested in collecting from an early age, Dickeson left
his medical residency and traveled in the South from 1837 to 1844 pioneering in the use of trenches in excavation and strata
and cross-sections in description. The collection consists of catalogues, maps, drawings, renderings, photographs, cross-section
drawings, and advertising material. Dickeson displayed his collection on his return to Philadelphia and commissioned the Mississippi
Panorama painted by John J. Egan, an itinerant Irish artist. Dickeson's collection and the panorama were displayed at his
own museum, in subscription lectures, and at the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 in Philadelphia. Dickeson engaged in ceaseless
self promotion but mostly published in local venues and in serialized format. His advanced archaeological techniques and the
catalogues of artifacts from Southern sites no longer in existence, though praised, are not well known.

title

Montroville Wilson Dickeson collection

creator

Dickeson, Montroville Wilson, b. 1810-d. 1882

id

PU-Mu. 1080

repository

University of Pennsylvania Penn Museum Archives

extent

0.8 linear foot (the collection consists of two catalogues and twenty three folders of material. the two catalogues are bound
and housed in one box measuring 17" by 12.5" by 2". photocopies of the catalogue are contained in three folders in the archival
box along with twelve additional folders of material. the remaining eight folders are oversized material)

inclusive date

1837-1876

bulk date

1837-1844

abstract/scope/contents

The Montroville W. Dickeson Collection is a record of Dickeson's expedition to the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys to investigate
the origins and archaeology of the North American mound builders. Interested in collecting from an early age, Dickeson left
his medical residency and traveled in the South from 1837 to 1844 pioneering in the use of trenches in excavation and strata
and cross-sections in description. The collection consists of catalogues, maps, drawings, renderings, photographs, cross-section
drawings, and advertising material. Dickeson displayed his collection on his return to Philadelphia and commissioned the Mississippi
Panorama painted by John J. Egan, an itinerant Irish artist. Dickeson's collection and the panorama were displayed at his
own museum, in subscription lectures, and at the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 in Philadelphia. Dickeson engaged in ceaseless
self promotion but mostly published in local venues and in serialized format. His advanced archaeological techniques and the
catalogues of artifacts from Southern sites no longer in existence, though praised, are not well known.